Don't Wake Me Up
by Karategurl13
Summary: When Captain America dies in the line of duty, Ironman can't help but replay those final moments. And while everyone else is trying to move on, a part of Tony knows that something isn't right.
1. Did That Just Seriously Happen?

Hey everybody! This is an idea I just came up with on the spot.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Ana.

The sound of music played in Steve's ear. Not just any music though- the kind of music he grew up with. And the shocking part was that he didn't feel sad. In fact, he felt exhilarated. It was as if it was soothing him and waking him up at the same time. The ground under his body was soft, almost lush - so much so that he thought he would slid through and land on his bedroom floor. He didn't want to wake up just yet. Steve wanted to savor being relaxed for once.

"Yes, rest my little soldier…."

Cap's eyes shot open and he sat up. "Mom?" His mom was the only person who called him that. Little did she know the meaning of those words. Ugh what was he thinking? His mom was long dead and buried. His heart ached at the thought of her though and he could've sworn he felt her hand on his cheek.

Steve looked around and realized he had no idea where he was. He was lying in an amber colored field that glowed as the sun hit it. Small dandelions swayed in the wind, going on for miles, tickling his skin. The smell of fresh roses danced around his nose. It was so different from the usual New York smell. The music flowing around him made him almost want to lay back down, but he had to get answers.

"Iron Man!" Cap yelled, standing up.

No answer.

"Thor, Romanoff!"

Nothing.

"Hawkeye, Banner!"

Silence.

"Tony, I swear if this is one of your stupid simulations, I'm not going to be happy." Oh who was he kidding. There was no way Tony would know what his mother used to say to him.

Tired of being a sitting duck, Cap started walking through the foliage. He couldn't remember how he got here or what he was doing before. All he knew was that he was oddly calm. He should've been worried about his team, but something was preventing him from thinking about them too much.

As he was walking down a small hill Steve saw a little girl, about 7, swinging on a swing set, but it wasn't just any swing set. It was the swing set that he and Bucky met on. Steve was getting beat on by bullies and Bucky decided to step in and slam the kid's head into the seat of the swing. Let's just say that nobody messed with Steve while Bucky was around- well at least at school. The thought of his best friend was like a punch to the gut. Steve was surprised his heart was still whole with all the tragedy in his life.

"Hi Captain Rodgers." Her white dress flowed in the wind, her red hair practically dancing behind her.

"Hi, little girl, what's-"

"Come swing with me."

Steve obeyed his orders and sat on the swing beside her. He knew for sure this wasn't a dream now by the way the hard plastic dug into his thighs. And the girl's hair brushed his fingers every few seconds so it wasn't a hallucination either. Whatever this was, it didn't seem threatening. Yet. Cap turned to the girl, who had nearly swung over the bar of the swing set.

"So what are you doing here by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself. Father is watching me."

Cap looked around, but was only met with fields of amber and flowers. "You can't see him yet, but you will. I'm Ana by the way."

"Well you already know me, but you can just call me Steve."

The soldier reached up to pull off his mask, but all he felt was his blond hair. How long had that been off? Ana jumped off the swing and grabbed his hand. The two sizes compared to each other were almost comical. The redhead skipped while dragging the soldier off to some unknown location. Steve wasn't used to going into situations blind, so this was making him very nervous. He needed to get some answers and if he couldn't get them from his own mind, he'd have to find another way.

"Ana, how did I get here?"

The redhead stopped and pointed a little finger towards the sky. Instead of the regular blue he expected to see, it was a black, starry filled sky- almost like in outer space. Small orbs of white light rushed past him and Ana, twirling and shimmering as they went by. The music in the air changed from classic 1940s to more, angelic like music. The field was now lit up like liquid gold. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"They're going home," Ana whispered, pointing towards a black oak tree on the other side of the field. He could see the orbs disappear as they got closer to it, but he couldn't see where they went. Maybe this was some sort of dimensional travel.

"Home? Is that how I get back to my team?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she sat down on the ground, her dress turning from white to gray. Steve was instantly at her side, rubbing her back in circles, 'sorry' dripping from his lips like melted icecream. Steve didn't know what he did wrong, but he still felt guilt.

"You don't know do you?"

"Know what?"

Ana sighed and in the blink of an eye, disappeared. The setting around Steve changed to an all too familiar one. He was in some foreign country, but he couldn't tell which one. The sounds of lasers and bullets filled his ears. Alarms and sirens blared. People were crying and screaming. He felt like he should remember this.

Hawkeye bent over, trying to catch his breath. Cap, relieved to see a familiar face, went to him. "Clint, man am I glad to see you."

"It's about time you got your Star Spangled butt over here. We're kind of getting creamed." The archer cracked his knuckles and walked towards him.

"Sorry. You won't believe the-"

Clint walked right through him. Cap froze, the breath nearly leaving his lungs.

"Sorry, I got stuck in traffic."

Steve turned, recognizing that voice as none other…. than his. Another Captain America stood in front of the archer, motorcycle proudly under him. This was not happening. Was this some kind of clone or alien imposter. And why couldn't they see or hear him?

"Hey Katniss, is that Capsicle?" Tony asked.

"Yep, the little bastard finally decided to show up."

Iron Man touched down mere inches in front of the invisible Captain and looked at the visible one. "Listen Cap I know you're not as young as you used to be-"

"Well we all know you're an expert on that subject," Steve (visible) said with a sly smile.

He could tell Tony was glaring at him. "But we need you down near that Central Area." Iron Man picked up the visible Steve and flew him over to the large circle in the center of the city that was surrounded by Hydra agents. Lovely. "It looks like they're protecting something."

"Right as always Cap. There's a bomb in that building there and according to my readings, it's large enough to take out a whole 3 blocks. We managed to get everyone out, but I need you to cover me while I disable it."

"Got it."

Tony dropped Cap suddenly so that he would fall on his back. "That was for making fun of my age."

He groaned and rolled on his side. "But you do that to me all of the time."

"Yeah, but I'm rich and powerful so I can do what I please." Iron Man left the visible Steve to fight Hydra agents while he flew inside. The invisible Steve shook his head as if this was some sort of bad dream.

"Ana, what is going on?"

She didn't answer him and it made him want to pull his hair out. He spun around looking for her, but all he saw was fast blurs rushing past him. When they all stopped, it was a little later and he was inside the abandoned building. All the people surrounding the area were pushed further back and the rest of the Avengers were blocking them. The only ones left in the area were Iron Man and the visible Steve.

"Cap, get out of here. This bomb's gonna blow any minute."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Steve… this bomb is something I've never seen before. I can try setting off an EMP, but it's risky."

"Risky how?"

"It'll shut off any electronic devices in the area, including my suit and the arc reactor."

Steve's eyes widened. "No. There's gotta be another way."

"Cap, there's no time." He could here the rare panic in Tony's voice. The invisible Steve saw the wheels churning in his double's head and he gripped his shield tighter.

"I'm sorry, Tony."

Cap threw his shield at Tony, sending him flying through glass and a few meters away from the building. The genius groaned, rubbing the dented part of his armor.

"Ok, I don't care that he's 90 something, when I get my hands on him I'm gonna-"

The explosion sent Tony flying back again. The invisible Steve could feel the extreme heat on his skin, his brain not processing what just happened. The other Avengers looked towards the building with wide eyes and open mouths. Even the Hulk, stopped looking on with a shocked expression.

"Cap!"

The fire licked up the walls of the building, gray smoke rising to the sky, blocking out the sun. Darkness fell over the Avengers both external and internally. The invisible Steve felt like he was going to have an asthma attack, which he hadn't had since he was a teen. The soldier fell to his knees and squeezed gravel beneath his fingers. A small hand gripped his shoulder from behind.

"Captain Steven Rodgers. Born July 4th, 1922. Frozen for nearly 70 years before being found by SHIELD. Died May 5th 2015 after sacrificing himself for the greater good."

Please review.


	2. Aftermath

You guys really didn't think I was going to leave you guys with an ending like that, did you? This isn't a one shot or two shot, it's a story that I've been thinking about for awhile now. All I can say is, get ready for feels. PS, Coulson is alive and SHIELD is still whole because it's my story. Shout out to WritersUnite717 and turtletot99!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Ana.

There had only been two times in Tony Stark's life that he couldn't control his emotions- when Pepper was kidnapped and nearly died from experimentation by the Mandarin and now watching Captain America's body burn up into ash. Everything was moving in slow motion. Like he was drunk, but could still function properly. He could hear people talking, including himself, but he couldn't understand any of it.

The billionaire flew towards the fire engulfed building. The heat was making his suit go up into the warning zone, but he didn't care. In fact his brain didn't even process that. All that was present in his mind was that Cap was in that building- that exploded- with no armor or shield to protect him. Ironman started throwing burning chunks of rubble of to the side, not caring where it went. He was not panicking. He was Tony Edward Stark- he did not panic.

The man huffed as he continued to try and get to his teammate. He called his name. Not Cap or Capsicle or Spangles, just Steve or Rodgers. Sweat was dripping into his helmet, blurring his screen, but he just kept going. Cap couldn't be dead. He was freakin' Captain America for crying out loud. He was sunshine and smiles and apple pie and everything Tony Stark wasn't. So the fact the he saved him before himself was beyond his genius mind.

Tony didn't know how long he was digging until Thor grabbed him by the wrist and refused to let go. All he knew that as soon as he looked in the face of the glassy eyed Asgardian, Stark felt the weight of the world fall on top of him. He gave out a wail that was as painful to hear as it was to do. The piece of stone he had been holding turned to dust in his hands. He fell onto his hands and knees, clutching the gravel underneath his iron clad fingers. After that, the world could've ended for all he cared.

* * *

(Two Days Later)

Everything and everyone in the world was filled with sorrow. People were lined out on the sidewalks, dressed in black clothing with flowers in their hands. Children stood in front of their parents with Captain America themed toys and bears. All the major highways were shut down, along with most jobs and schools. It was as if everything in the world stopped and mourned the late hero. Even the freakin' sun decided that this was too much. The sky was filled with dark clouds that drizzled rain, but didn't pour.

This day- no matter how old he got- would be forever engraved in Tony Stark's memory for many reasons. One, it was the first day since he became Ironman that no villains attacked, which was good because the Avengers (but mostly Tony) would've had no mercy on him/her. Two, it was the first time he had gotten ready for something without Pepper getting him up. At first he wasn't even going to go to the funeral at all since he wasn't exactly Cap's favorite person in the world, but figured someone had to be there to make sure Pepper didn't have an anxiety attack before giving her speech. And three, it was the first time Tony Stark had cried since he was ten. It wasn't a full out snot- nosed- can-barely-breathe attack. It was just that Tony was polishing Steve's shield and he was thinking about how it should've been him who died and not Steve and he could still smell that 40s style cologne that he wore all the time- yeah you get the point. If anyone were to ask what happened, Tony would've said he got polish in his eyes.

After retying his tie for the hundredth or so time, Tony decided that he could no longer prolong the inevitable. With a quick look above, Stark grabbed Steve's shield and headed down to meet the others. He just hoped he wouldn't 'get polish in his eyes' before they got to the funeral home.

* * *

The white light shining in Steve's eyes was almost blinding. He could see a small blurry blob in front of him, but he couldn't make it out who it was. That all too comfy feeling was back again and this time it didn't want to let the soldier go anytime soon- not that he was complaining. The hand stroking face and neck also wasn't helping in his quest to regain consciousness. It was only a young voice calling his name that brought him back.

Steve saw Ana standing over him with a worried look on her face and just like that, Cap remembered what had happened before he found himself back on the ground. He was dead. Like- really dead this time, not just frozen in ice somewhere in the Atlantic.

"Are you ok?" the redhead asked, kneeling down next to him.

"As good as a person can get after finding out they just died." Steve stood up and brushed his clothes off, only to realize that his dirt covered uniform was now perfectly clean. There were no tears or rips or anything that suggested it had been through a couple battles and an explosion.

The soldier opened his opened his mouth to speak, but Ana was already a couple feet away from him. Steve took long strides to catch up with her and soon fell in sync with her. "Sorry about that. I'm still getting used to this whole guardian angel procedure. I only died last year so I still have a lot to learn."

The captain winced at her use of only. She was only a baby, too young to be dead. She hadn't even begun to live her life yet. "So wait, why does your father have to watch you if you're dead?"

She giggled. "I didn't say my father, I said Father," she said, pointing up at the word Father. Steve stared wide eyed at the large bright light in the starry sky and nodded his head, unsure of to who.

"Wow. Wait, this isn't heaven?" Steve asked, suddenly a little weak kneed.

"No."

"So we're in in-"

"NO!" Steve relaxed considerably and placed a hand over his heart, which he was surprised could still beat. "You're in the horizon."

She didn't even stop to look at the confused expression on his face. "The horizon is a place where restless spirits go and are comforted by their loved ones so that they may rest in peace and cross over."

Cap slowly processed the information, nodding his head up and down. He didn't want to be dead. He left behind his country- his city- his team. The Avengers were his family. They were wacky and annoying and challenged him and watched his back and he had to go and die on them. Tony must've been giving his corpse an earful by now. No, this wasn't real. It was just a dream. A really, really, vivid dream.

A small brush under his ear and through his hair from behind, shattered Steve's thoughts. He recognized that touch from a memory that was so long ago it was almost foreign to him. The soldier turned around slowly and nearly collapsed at the sight of his mother. Her golden hair was pinned up in tight bun, her signature red rose in the side. She smiled with tearful brown eyes at the sight of her only son.

His eyes burned and his chest clenched to the point where he almost couldn't breathe, but all he could focus on was her. His mother. His beautiful mother who still looked as young as ever. Cap didn't know how he made it to her. All he knew was that, his face was suddenly pressed into her white dress and she rocked him as he cried. At that moment, it didn't matter that he was a soldier or a grown man. Steve was just a little boy who missed his mama.

"It's okay my little soldier. Mama's here."

Steve could barely gets his words out, he was so overcome with emotions. "W-why did you leave me?" He didn't care that it was a selfish question and that he knew his mother was sick. Couldn't fate have waited two more years before he took her away from him- just so she could see him become a soldier?

Sara shushed him and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "I was sick honey, but all that matters is that the three of us are together at last." Steve nodded his head until he fully processed her words. _Three?_

As if on cue, a strong pair of arms wrapped around his muscled waist. Steve's blue eyes shot open at the feeling of a metal ring pressing into his side. It couldn't be. Turning his head, Cap took one look at Joseph Rodgers and fell to his knees sobbing. The brown eyed man grabbed his son and let him cry into his chest. Steve was only a toddler when he lost his father to polio so he barely had memories of him, only pictures. Now, seeing him in front of his eyes was a dream come true.

"I'm here, Steven. I'm here and we're gonna be a family again."

* * *

Tony Stark sat on the church steps and ran his fingers around the edge of Steve's iPod. The small American flag colored device was water proof so it wouldn't get ruined by the rain pounding on his shoulders. The billionaire built it for the soldier's first birthday out of the ice after hearing him complain about how he missed listening to music from his time on quinjet rides and couldn't bring his record player. Tony made it as simple as he possibly could and yet Steve still needed help. He thought it was utterly adorable. Now he was kicking himself for not recording it. At least he'd have something happy to remember him by.

The mechanic didn't even acknowledge the footsteps coming towards or the sound of that person sitting down next to him. The person didn't speak or touch him or tell him everything was going to be alright because everyone already knew it wasn't. Cap was the heart of the Avengers and without him they- well Tony didn't exactly know what they were.

"Why aren't you inside?" Phil's voice was softer than usual. Either he was hoarse from crying or he didn't want his voice booming during Steve's funeral.

"I don't do funerals. In fact the only reason I'm here is because I don't want Steve's ghost haunting me from the grave. I already have enough problems, I don't need Paranormal Activity 7 going on in my house." Tony put the device in his pocket and looked over at Phil. The SHIELD agent stared at the crowd of people surrounding church. The President had to call in SWAT just to keep news reporters from coming in and sneaking a few pictures- for their sake and the heroes.

"That's one thing I admired about Steve. He was the most famous superhero out there, took on I don't even know how many villains, had thousands of adoring fans and yet he still managed to stay humble." Phil took out a Captain America collector's card from his breast pocket and ran his thumb over the blue inked signature. Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Just more stuff to remind him how perfect Steve was. "You know nobody blames you right?"

"Not out loud at least." Tony took a sip of his drink and no, it wasn't alcohol. It was carbonated water to calm his nerves. "Why are we even having this?"

"Stark, not today."

"No I'm serious Coulson. The people in there are mourning over an empty casket. We don't have his body, his suit, hell not even his freakin' shield- that's going in some museum. At least give the guy some decency and bury something."

Phil put his hand on Tony's shoulder to try to calm him down. "Tony, we tried. Believe me, we _tried_. I personally oversaw the search. There was nothing left."

"That's bull. It's scientifically impossible for there to be nothing left no matter how hot it gets. There has to be something thing, a tooth, a piece of bone, a lock of freakin' hair for crying out loud. Cap just….. he can't just be gone."

Tony stumbled down the steps and sank to his knees. He held onto Phil for support as he tried to calm his erratic breathing. It felt like someone shoved him in a tiny box and stuffed cotton down his throat. The genius unbuttoned his jacket and just listened to the rain. He hadn't had a panic attack since after New York so this caught him completely off guard.

"Believe me Tony. I more than anybody just want this to be some bad dream or a late April fools prank, but this is real. Steve's gone, Stark. You have to get over the how and why."

Stark wiped the rain water off of his face and ran a hand through his hair. "If I got over the how and why, my name wouldn't be Anthony Edward Stark."

With that, Tony walked away from the agent secretly routing the fastest way he could get to Bosnia and come back before the march.

* * *

Hundreds of thousands of miles away, a figure sat on a throne smirking at how pitiful Earth's Mightiest Heroes looked on his screens. They were nothing, but lost puppies without their precious Captain. It was almost comical how far they've fallen in 72 hours.

"Sir, should we be concerned about Stark? He is getting mighty curious."

The figure on the throne shook his head. "Let him poke around. Sooner or later his guilt will destroy him… and the Avengers along with him."

 **Will Steve cross over? Will Tony move on? Or will they both be stuck in mourning? Please review and find out soon. =)**


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